Centre Georges Pompidou (constructed 1971–1977 and known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles and the Marais.
It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, who was president of France from 1969 to 1974, and was opened on 31 December 1977.
Architecture
The Centre was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, the British architect couple Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers, the British structural engineer Edmund Happold (who would later found Buro Happold) and Irish structural engineer Peter Rice. The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. Reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, the New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Center, with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou “revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.”.Construction
The Centre was built by GTM and completed in 1977.Stravinsky Fountain
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), features works by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle.
Video footage of the fountain appeared frequently throughout the French language telecourse, French in Action.
Place Georges Pompidou
The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers. In the spring miniature carnivals are installed temporarily into the place in front with a *wide* variety of attractions; bands, tables set up for evening dining, and even skate boarding competitions.Public transport
- Nearby Métro stations: Rambuteau, Les Halles
- RER Châtelet - Les Halles
See also
References
External links
- Official website
- Video about the Centre Pompidou
- Bibliothèque publique d'information website
- Paris Pages — Musée National d'Art Moderne
- Photographs
- Photographs
- Visiting Information
- Discover Wonders of the World: Centre Pompidou
- Preview of Pompidou-Metz extension at Specifier Magazine
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Last updated on Tuesday July 22, 2008 at 05:51:30 PDT (GMT -0700)
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